IPhone and beyond: AT&T expands BOGO to most high-end phones
1. Summertime can be slow for smartphone upgrades, and AT&T Mobility is hoping for a springtime surge before summer sets in. The carrier is expanding its buy-one-get-one-free offer to several new smartphones, including more Samsung Galaxy phones, the Microsoft Lumia 950, the HTC One A9, the Kyocera DuraForce and two LG smartphones. Earlier this year, the carrier started offering the flagship iPhones as well as the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge through two-for-one programs.
In order to get a second smartphone for free, customers must purchase the phones under AT&T Next, which the carrier said is now its most popular plan for consumers. Next allows customers to upgrade their phones after they have made a prescribed number of monthly payments. For the BOGO offer, the second phone must be purchased on a 30-month Next agreement or an equipment installment plan with 24 monthly payments.
AT&T Mobility is also simplifying its Next plans starting June 9. Customers will choose between paying for their phones over 24 months or 30 months. Currently, the Next plan includes a 20-month option as well. With the new plan, customers who pay for their phones over 24 months will be eligible for an upgrade after one year, while customers on the 30-month plan will have to wait two years for an upgrade.
2. Apple’s next iPhone could drive the next major round of smartphone upgrades in the U.S., but one big iPhone improvement is not expected until 2017. According to Applied Materials, which makes equipment to manufacture smartphone displays, organic light-emitting diode screens will not be ready for the iPhone until 2017. Those screens do not require a backlight, meaning they can use less battery power, and they are expected to significantly enhance the way the iPhone displays color.
3. T-Mobile US said a software glitch caused a temporary 911 outage in the Portland, Oregon, area. The carrier does not know how many people were affected, but said the problem was detected and resolved quickly. Last year, T-Mobile US was fined $17.5 million by the Federal Communications Commission for failing to support 911 service adequately in some situations.
4. Sprint parent SoftBank may be looking to raise cash by selling its stake in game maker Supercell. The Wall Street Journal reports SoftBank is in talks with China’s Tencent, which owns a number of games for smartphones and personal computers. SoftBank owns 73% of Supercell, which reported $2.3 billion in revenue last year.
5. A researcher at the University of California-Berkeley, is calling for warning labels on mobile phones. Joel Moskowitz notes an increase in the incidence of nonmalignant brain tumors, and says “the most serious type of brain cancer has increased in parts of the brain near where people hold their phones.” Moskowitz wants mobile phones to carry warning labels to let users know that they can decrease their risk by using headphones or by texting instead of calling.
